International knowledge database for ground improvement technologies

The prime mission of the International Knowledge Database for Ground Improvement Technologies (IKDGIT) is to foster worldwide technology transfer and know-how exchange, which will effectively contribute to advancing the state of engineering and construction practice and accelerate reliable use of innovative ground improvement geosystems for a variety of engineering applications. To achieve this goal, specifically in the areas of ground improvement, reinforcement and grouting, where practice has always preceded research and analytical developments, effective interaction between government, industry and academia must be established. For this purpose, the Technical Committee for Ground Improvement, Reinforcement and Grouting of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE TC-17) has undertaken the development of the IKDGIT, which provides a user-friendly framework for collecting data, conducting statistical analyses, screening and presenting data via the Internet in order to provide widespread dissemination to engineers around the world. For the development of the IKDGIT, it is envisioned that through the network of Regional Centers to be established in ISSMGE country members, TC-17 members will participate not only in data collection but also in the evaluation of the available data, so that any data accessible to the international community through the IKD would have been evaluated by the experts of TC-17.